WEBVTT 1 00:00:11.930 --> 00:00:18.519 Michelle @ ProWritingAid: Welcome everyone welcome if you can see and hear me drop your location in the chat. 2 00:00:18.870 --> 00:00:22.560 Michelle @ ProWritingAid: and I'm going to drop some special links for you. 3 00:00:29.200 --> 00:00:33.859 Michelle @ ProWritingAid: Hello! From Colorado, Alabama, Canada, Illinois. 4 00:00:34.150 --> 00:00:36.200 Michelle @ ProWritingAid: Tennessee, Washington. 5 00:00:36.780 --> 00:00:38.310 Michelle @ ProWritingAid: Hi, everyone. 6 00:00:40.740 --> 00:00:49.419 Michelle @ ProWritingAid: England, Michigan, Texas, Idaho, as always. We love to see all of you here, and from all over the globe. It's so nice. 7 00:00:49.700 --> 00:00:53.580 Michelle @ ProWritingAid: Thank you for coming back and spending more of your Wednesday with us. 8 00:00:54.720 --> 00:01:07.519 Michelle @ ProWritingAid: I'm going to drop those links again for you, because there is a special link at the bottom that you will want to use during this session. It is a guide to workbook from our speaker. That will 9 00:01:08.240 --> 00:01:13.370 Michelle @ ProWritingAid: allow you to just kind of go through the materials with her. So check that out. 10 00:01:13.480 --> 00:01:20.130 Michelle @ ProWritingAid: We're going to get started in just a moment. I just have a couple of housekeeping items to go over with you as usual. 11 00:01:20.290 --> 00:01:44.699 Michelle @ ProWritingAid: So first, you can access your fantasy week replays by going to our hub page. These are posted once they're done processing from Zoom, and you will also find special offers from our speakers there. Special links slides from the sessions, an offer from prorating aid, a link to join our community, lots of important information there. So make sure you check out that Hub page. That link is in the chat as well. 12 00:01:45.080 --> 00:01:58.540 Michelle @ ProWritingAid: Replays will be available here, and they will also be moving to our community. Page by May third, so that all of our community members can enjoy them. So you will definitely want to join the community. So you have access to those 13 00:01:58.870 --> 00:02:09.759 Michelle @ ProWritingAid: premium day is coming up on Friday, that is, for premium and premium pro writing aid users only. But you can upgrade by Friday morning if you would like to join us. 14 00:02:10.130 --> 00:02:25.640 Michelle @ ProWritingAid: Everybody who has a premium or premium pro license, who is registered for fantasy writers. Week will receive an email Friday morning with instructions to attend our premium day sessions. So please check your email for those special links that you will need 15 00:02:26.570 --> 00:02:45.900 Michelle @ ProWritingAid: your offer for attending fantasy writers. Week is 25% off your first year of premium or premium pro. So if you are thinking about upgrading, now is a great time to do so, so. You can take advantage of that discount and also join us for premium day. But that offer ends May tenth, and you can find out more about that on the Hub page. 16 00:02:46.470 --> 00:03:11.360 Michelle @ ProWritingAid: If you would like to keep talking fantasy writing, and also enjoy your replays for longer. Please join us at the fantasy writing community. We have a special online community. You can join with your prorating aid account details. It is free to join, and if you come to the live event chat area you will see where all of the conversation from this week is taking place. We have a lot of folks over there talking about fantasy, writing things, and it's a lot of fun. So we'd love to have you 17 00:03:12.670 --> 00:03:41.940 Michelle @ ProWritingAid: reminders for this session. If you have a question for our speaker, please use the QA. Box. You can find that button in the center of your zoom screen, and we will try to get to as many questions as possible. If you would like to chat with other viewers. Please use the chat for that, as you can see, it moves quickly, and we don't want to lose any of your questions. Just make sure that when you're typing you are selecting everyone next to 2 in the dropdown menu. Otherwise, by default, your messages will just come to the host and panelists. 18 00:03:41.940 --> 00:03:45.180 Michelle @ ProWritingAid: and I'm going to drop those links for you again in the chat right now. 19 00:03:45.330 --> 00:03:51.070 Michelle @ ProWritingAid: including the special workbook link at the bottom, that you will want to open during the session today. 20 00:03:51.170 --> 00:03:57.490 Michelle @ ProWritingAid: So with all of that said, I am so excited to introduce our speaker, Gina Kamer. 21 00:03:57.950 --> 00:04:08.560 Michelle @ ProWritingAid: book, coach, and editor, Gina Kamer uses brain science to take science, fiction and fantasy authors through each step of the novel writing process to create stories that enchant readers. 22 00:04:08.610 --> 00:04:31.560 Michelle @ ProWritingAid: Gina combines her background in teaching college, writing, and literature, with her insights as a former in house editor to mentor authors through craft, instruction, and the publishing industry, with over a decade of professional story, dragon experience. She coaches authors at inky Book, inkbookmcom, so they know exactly which next steps to take on their journeys to publication. Welcome, Gina. We're so happy to have you. 23 00:04:32.280 --> 00:04:33.829 Gina Kammer: Hi, thank you. 24 00:04:33.950 --> 00:04:37.519 Gina Kammer: Let me get my screen shared and we can get started. 25 00:04:37.520 --> 00:04:38.750 Michelle @ ProWritingAid: Sounds, great. 26 00:04:46.750 --> 00:04:48.880 Gina Kammer: Let me know if you can see that. 27 00:04:48.880 --> 00:04:49.566 Michelle @ ProWritingAid: Looks, good. 28 00:04:50.420 --> 00:04:51.150 Gina Kammer: Great. 29 00:04:52.490 --> 00:04:53.970 Gina Kammer: Okay? 30 00:04:56.390 --> 00:05:06.130 Gina Kammer: So you know those stories that you read that you can't stop thinking about. You can't stop living in that world in your head 31 00:05:06.800 --> 00:05:15.179 Gina Kammer: like in the shower in the car attempting to go about your day like this elusive thing called a normal human. 32 00:05:15.710 --> 00:05:20.430 Gina Kammer: I want that from every story I read, and that means I want that from your story, too. 33 00:05:21.330 --> 00:05:32.229 Gina Kammer: So yes, I am Gina Kamer, an author, editor, and book coach, who uses brain science hacks to help science, fiction and fantasy. Authors enchant their readers. 34 00:05:32.270 --> 00:05:34.780 Gina Kammer: and I want to teach you how to do the same 35 00:05:35.950 --> 00:05:37.740 Gina Kammer: when I work with clients. 36 00:05:37.770 --> 00:05:40.880 Gina Kammer: There's a nine-step framework that we go through. 37 00:05:41.130 --> 00:05:49.300 Gina Kammer: My intention today is to get you all started by identifying the 3 keys to enchanting readers for meaningful impact. 38 00:05:50.430 --> 00:06:00.229 Gina Kammer: To have this impact. You need to first set up the right promises for readers. So they and you know where your story is going that gets them reading at least. 39 00:06:00.910 --> 00:06:08.669 Gina Kammer: But to entertain readers, you need to know how to make those readers care, and that means you need to know why you care. 40 00:06:09.550 --> 00:06:18.660 Gina Kammer: And finally, you have to give readers a deep, vicarious experience in which you're playing out your story's meaningful core. 41 00:06:18.990 --> 00:06:26.910 Gina Kammer: You play it out through the characters on the page where it can impact readers just as if these things were really happening to them. 42 00:06:27.370 --> 00:06:29.890 Gina Kammer: Our brains don't really know the difference. 43 00:06:29.960 --> 00:06:35.729 Gina Kammer: They light up in the same ways as when we experience our own memories. 44 00:06:36.710 --> 00:06:43.420 Gina Kammer: So this session today is definitely for you. If you feel like you don't have a good grasp on where your story is going. 45 00:06:43.700 --> 00:06:48.189 Gina Kammer: would like to have a better idea of what to do once you have a draft. 46 00:06:49.230 --> 00:06:58.690 Gina Kammer: or you're afraid of revision, because you're not sure what steps to take, or don't know what your story needs to really connect with readers. 47 00:06:59.550 --> 00:07:08.569 Gina Kammer: because, like most of my clients, my guess is that you have something you really want to share with readers, and at least inspire a few who need your story. 48 00:07:09.570 --> 00:07:16.439 Gina Kammer: So I'm going to teach you some of the hardest hitting processes to create your story enchantment. 49 00:07:16.520 --> 00:07:21.989 Gina Kammer: These are a few of the same processes I use in my signature program called Enchant. Your Readers. 50 00:07:22.970 --> 00:07:35.450 Gina Kammer: The tools and processes in this program have helped dozens of authors tell the kinds of stories readers get immersed in and better emotionally connect readers to their stories. 51 00:07:36.520 --> 00:07:38.680 Gina Kammer: like Jeff, for example. 52 00:07:38.750 --> 00:07:41.049 Gina Kammer: an incredibly sharp middle grade author. 53 00:07:41.070 --> 00:07:43.050 Gina Kammer: He believed in his story. 54 00:07:43.110 --> 00:07:46.389 Gina Kammer: and agents got excited about it from his query, too. 55 00:07:46.870 --> 00:07:49.800 Gina Kammer: but they ultimately all ended in rejections. 56 00:07:50.490 --> 00:07:53.320 Gina Kammer: That's when Jeff sought professional guidance. 57 00:07:53.330 --> 00:07:56.570 Gina Kammer: His critique group could only take him. So far. 58 00:07:57.340 --> 00:08:05.000 Gina Kammer: The problem as he shared it with me was that agents weren't connecting to his story. Once they got into his manuscript. 59 00:08:05.340 --> 00:08:08.439 Gina Kammer: and, to be honest, I could see why 60 00:08:09.100 --> 00:08:14.410 Gina Kammer: the raw story he had was incredible, but I couldn't connect at first, either. 61 00:08:14.930 --> 00:08:18.809 Gina Kammer: We're telling my way through the story again. I wrote to him. 62 00:08:18.890 --> 00:08:24.990 Gina Kammer: I'm just hearing about it rather than being able to live it vicariously through your character. 63 00:08:25.430 --> 00:08:30.040 Gina Kammer: Let me into the story. Stop holding me at arm's length. 64 00:08:30.800 --> 00:08:39.839 Gina Kammer: I wanted to be let deeply into the story in all areas like not just when it got to the good, seemingly more exciting parts. 65 00:08:40.559 --> 00:08:41.880 Gina Kammer: The truth is 66 00:08:41.909 --> 00:08:44.899 Gina Kammer: that we can't skip our way to the good stuff. 67 00:08:45.150 --> 00:08:47.510 Gina Kammer: All the stuff has to be the good stuff. 68 00:08:47.860 --> 00:08:53.420 Gina Kammer: You know all those other scenes here, the ones in between the big turning points and such. 69 00:08:54.000 --> 00:08:57.460 Gina Kammer: This is the story, too. This is the good stuff. 70 00:08:58.430 --> 00:09:12.980 Gina Kammer: And wow! Didn't Jeff learn that, using my instruction and tools, he embraced the structural work as well as the deeper emotional threads to create better connection on the page. He tackled it all with mastery. 71 00:09:13.170 --> 00:09:15.699 Gina Kammer: He just needed the right tools and training. 72 00:09:16.800 --> 00:09:18.160 Gina Kammer: and you know what 73 00:09:18.600 --> 00:09:24.149 Gina Kammer: his manuscript made the first cut in a recent contest for fantasy. 74 00:09:25.100 --> 00:09:32.269 Gina Kammer: I bet you're already so close you just need the right tools and training to make it all click so you can do the same. 75 00:09:32.930 --> 00:09:42.939 Gina Kammer: So if that's you, don't worry, you have the opportunity to download a workbook to dive into this all with me to make that happen in a bit 76 00:09:43.270 --> 00:09:45.399 Gina Kammer: should have the link in the chat. 77 00:09:45.630 --> 00:09:53.570 Gina Kammer: because I want to walk you through as much as I can today covering those 3 specific crucial points of each key 78 00:09:53.650 --> 00:10:00.950 Gina Kammer: to reader enchantment. So this workbook will help you by giving you the exact steps we'll be taking, plus more. 79 00:10:01.820 --> 00:10:08.419 Gina Kammer: I'm also going to stick around to answer your questions so you can get as much out of this session as possible. 80 00:10:08.870 --> 00:10:15.439 Gina Kammer: I know you're going to make some crucial shifts as an author, and in your craft from our work today. 81 00:10:17.850 --> 00:10:23.630 Gina Kammer: So I fully admit that when I started writing stories so like first or second grade. 82 00:10:24.360 --> 00:10:30.880 Gina Kammer: But I really mean much later than that. When I started getting serious about novel writing. 83 00:10:31.210 --> 00:10:37.909 Gina Kammer: I did not know how to plan a story for any meaningful impact, or how to revise that beast. 84 00:10:38.340 --> 00:10:50.770 Gina Kammer: Sure, I chose characters and situations that I thought would be really edgy or thought-provoking, like creating impossible situations for characters to navigate and the like. 85 00:10:52.380 --> 00:10:53.170 Gina Kammer: But 86 00:10:53.530 --> 00:11:01.330 Gina Kammer: the only structure I followed was an intuitive one, and I thought plot trumped every other story element. 87 00:11:02.110 --> 00:11:07.240 Gina Kammer: even though the story served what I thought was a tight thought. 88 00:11:07.750 --> 00:11:14.540 Gina Kammer: I have no strong reason for any of the events to tie them all together, to make readers care. 89 00:11:15.650 --> 00:11:24.330 Gina Kammer: Even when I realized a character needed to be changed by the end of the story, it all stayed external, more surface level. 90 00:11:25.220 --> 00:11:30.999 Gina Kammer: The reality was that I didn't know how to transfer that depth to the page. 91 00:11:31.020 --> 00:11:42.719 Gina Kammer: But, believe me, when I tell you, I still thought I had in my latest national novel, Ready Month manuscript. I loved this steampunk novel so much. Certainly others would, too. 92 00:11:43.820 --> 00:11:44.520 Gina Kammer: Alf. 93 00:11:44.740 --> 00:11:51.729 Gina Kammer: I sent it to my first Beta reader, a fellow writer I had been in an online community with, since we were hardly teens. 94 00:11:52.240 --> 00:11:59.030 Gina Kammer: I was so excited to get her feedback and hear how good the story was and how much I had improved. 95 00:12:00.150 --> 00:12:04.489 Gina Kammer: But you might be able to already guess that that's not what happened. 96 00:12:05.900 --> 00:12:19.870 Gina Kammer: My pacing was clearly way off in my effort to keep things moving for a page. Turning read, as Jen told me, just when she felt like she could start to get more of that connection she was craving, but missing. 97 00:12:20.080 --> 00:12:21.430 Gina Kammer: I would cut the scene. 98 00:12:22.110 --> 00:12:26.540 Gina Kammer: She wasn't connecting to my story, as I expected. 99 00:12:26.790 --> 00:12:30.870 Gina Kammer: and those expectations are so hard to have dashed. 100 00:12:31.390 --> 00:12:38.109 Gina Kammer: So I now had her opinions, but no way to go about actually addressing them. I mean. 101 00:12:38.440 --> 00:12:42.299 Gina Kammer: I was a fantastic, fantastic academic all my life, but 102 00:12:42.580 --> 00:12:46.269 Gina Kammer: school teaches how to write well for school 103 00:12:46.670 --> 00:12:55.780 Gina Kammer: formula, less formulaic essays were annoying, but kind of easy editing or revising just meant putting in the extra couple of words or punctuations my teacher marked. 104 00:12:56.200 --> 00:12:57.190 Gina Kammer: So 105 00:12:57.440 --> 00:13:06.419 Gina Kammer: it's no wonder I didn't have the right tools or instruction to tackle or revision project of novel size with any expertise. 106 00:13:06.430 --> 00:13:11.059 Gina Kammer: I didn't understand how cyclical and iterative this process is. 107 00:13:11.620 --> 00:13:25.450 Gina Kammer: I was good at analyzing deep ideas and other stories, but when it came to fixing mine I didn't know how to really assess what was on the page, and much less what actually made it good or bad. 108 00:13:26.190 --> 00:13:37.910 Gina Kammer: And I couldn't admit to myself that I didn't know what to do with Jen's feedback. I couldn't admit that, unlike basically all of academia, I was out of my depth here. 109 00:13:38.330 --> 00:13:41.469 Gina Kammer: even though I had considered myself a writer all my life. 110 00:13:42.900 --> 00:13:47.299 Gina Kammer: I wasn't good enough to write the novel I dreamed of. 111 00:13:47.450 --> 00:13:51.539 Gina Kammer: so I started and quit other stories more than I can count 112 00:13:51.670 --> 00:13:54.320 Gina Kammer: in an attempt to make my dream somehow just 113 00:13:54.530 --> 00:13:57.059 Gina Kammer: happened by accident or something. 114 00:13:58.010 --> 00:14:09.709 Gina Kammer: Then I hit, pause on my writing, as other things in life took over. I wondered if I was still a fiction writer if all I was doing was research and writing academically, and editing. 115 00:14:09.970 --> 00:14:12.577 Gina Kammer: Oh, Hi, imposter syndrome! My old friend. 116 00:14:13.380 --> 00:14:14.300 Gina Kammer: but 117 00:14:14.710 --> 00:14:17.670 Gina Kammer: I'm not telling this story to discourage you. 118 00:14:17.930 --> 00:14:23.110 Gina Kammer: Rather. I want you to know what's possible, even if you've had similar experiences 119 00:14:23.630 --> 00:14:28.050 Gina Kammer: so fast forward to becoming an editor for an educational children's publisher. 120 00:14:28.670 --> 00:14:38.399 Gina Kammer: I was a postgrad with a master's in English literature, and had been teaching college writing and lit. I also had a year of newspaper editing under my belt. 121 00:14:39.880 --> 00:14:41.310 Gina Kammer: Eventually 122 00:14:41.720 --> 00:14:44.910 Gina Kammer: I started writing again, and even published 123 00:14:45.160 --> 00:14:50.789 Gina Kammer: in what time I could find between these things I wrote story after story. 124 00:14:50.940 --> 00:14:53.573 Gina Kammer: or at least started many stories again. 125 00:14:53.990 --> 00:14:57.219 Gina Kammer: still trying to crack. Crack the craft. 126 00:14:57.800 --> 00:15:02.830 Gina Kammer: I thought surely becoming an in-house editor would give me those answers 127 00:15:02.930 --> 00:15:04.439 Gina Kammer: until I realized 128 00:15:04.510 --> 00:15:11.219 Gina Kammer: most of my colleagues were all in the same boat. They didn't exactly have any answers, just 129 00:15:11.280 --> 00:15:13.190 Gina Kammer: things they always did by rote 130 00:15:13.330 --> 00:15:17.250 Gina Kammer: not necessarily wrong things, but we'll get to that later. 131 00:15:18.240 --> 00:15:23.889 Gina Kammer: I got even better at structural plotting from all the articles and craft books I read. 132 00:15:24.040 --> 00:15:32.369 Gina Kammer: and, thanks to my managing editor, who, even from Oxford, trusted me with taking time for all the professional development I desired. 133 00:15:32.390 --> 00:15:34.170 Gina Kammer: My knowledge grew. 134 00:15:34.790 --> 00:15:43.250 Gina Kammer: but I still thought the plot and solid structure must be the answer, the all-important key to story. 135 00:15:43.730 --> 00:15:47.699 Gina Kammer: And I still felt so uncertain about when a story was actually good. 136 00:15:48.210 --> 00:15:50.239 Gina Kammer: I rather knew them when I read them, but 137 00:15:50.660 --> 00:15:52.219 Gina Kammer: couldn't truly say, Why. 138 00:15:53.660 --> 00:16:01.629 Gina Kammer: that's when my prior graduate school research into creativity through cognitive psychology and brain science finally 139 00:16:01.660 --> 00:16:03.880 Gina Kammer: licked with all my 140 00:16:04.050 --> 00:16:05.490 Gina Kammer: craft, research. 141 00:16:05.600 --> 00:16:08.800 Gina Kammer: industry, experience, and professional development. 142 00:16:09.050 --> 00:16:18.439 Gina Kammer: I dove into the effects of story on readers to answer those whys behind all the advice I had learned and gave to authors myself. 143 00:16:19.980 --> 00:16:26.729 Gina Kammer: and I finally got it. I felt more confident in knowing objectively when a story was good or not there. Yet 144 00:16:26.900 --> 00:16:29.429 Gina Kammer: I knew what needed to happen, when 145 00:16:29.530 --> 00:16:30.790 Gina Kammer: and why. 146 00:16:32.410 --> 00:16:37.250 Gina Kammer: Then I had a bigger dream for getting more better quality stories out into the world. 147 00:16:38.500 --> 00:16:46.949 Gina Kammer: Writing is still so much work. But if I could save authors like you some of that struggle showing you what works and why 148 00:16:47.060 --> 00:16:48.570 Gina Kammer: that might be worth it. 149 00:16:49.440 --> 00:16:54.159 Gina Kammer: I mean, I've known writers who have read all the craft books. 150 00:16:54.390 --> 00:17:01.229 Gina Kammer: Okay? Not really, but a lot, and learned all the plotting methods and character interviews and their Mfas. 151 00:17:01.340 --> 00:17:02.290 Gina Kammer: but 152 00:17:02.420 --> 00:17:06.039 Gina Kammer: their stories still weren't working. Some 153 00:17:06.099 --> 00:17:08.029 Gina Kammer: thought their stories were working 154 00:17:08.630 --> 00:17:11.470 Gina Kammer: hazards of being too close to your own work. 155 00:17:12.650 --> 00:17:22.399 Gina Kammer: Others didn't think their stories were terrible. Yet could it PIN down what wasn't quite right, or how to make it better? 156 00:17:24.200 --> 00:17:28.949 Gina Kammer: Telling a good story is one of those things that seems so subjective. 157 00:17:28.960 --> 00:17:30.770 Gina Kammer: and in some respects it is. 158 00:17:31.020 --> 00:17:33.070 Gina Kammer: But when it comes to solid craft. 159 00:17:33.200 --> 00:17:35.350 Gina Kammer: brain science makes it much more 160 00:17:35.550 --> 00:17:36.840 Gina Kammer: objective. 161 00:17:37.050 --> 00:17:38.060 Gina Kammer: So 162 00:17:38.630 --> 00:17:43.220 Gina Kammer: why doesn't reading all those craft articles, books, and lessons work. 163 00:17:43.430 --> 00:17:49.969 Gina Kammer: Why do you feel like you've got answers yet? Can't get your story to meet your expectations for it. 164 00:17:51.820 --> 00:17:56.579 Gina Kammer: Understanding craft, advice, and making it work for your story aren't the same. 165 00:17:56.970 --> 00:18:04.200 Gina Kammer: You can learn and store away all the advice, but that doesn't often help you put it into action in your manuscript. 166 00:18:04.640 --> 00:18:11.849 Gina Kammer: So what you need is a method to bring all that knowledge together from the very start of the ideation process 167 00:18:11.860 --> 00:18:14.210 Gina Kammer: to those finishing touches. 168 00:18:14.330 --> 00:18:19.659 Gina Kammer: You need it to work toward a tightly crafted hole that fulfills 169 00:18:19.820 --> 00:18:24.520 Gina Kammer: not only your expectations, but also, reader, expectations. 170 00:18:25.070 --> 00:18:26.330 Gina Kammer: And that means 171 00:18:26.370 --> 00:18:30.039 Gina Kammer: you don't just need to know that craft lessons are advice. 172 00:18:30.460 --> 00:18:32.560 Gina Kammer: You need to know what to do with them. 173 00:18:32.630 --> 00:18:35.609 Gina Kammer: how to implement them for your story, and 174 00:18:35.730 --> 00:18:37.429 Gina Kammer: why the advice works 175 00:18:37.520 --> 00:18:38.700 Gina Kammer: or doesn't. 176 00:18:39.840 --> 00:18:55.850 Gina Kammer: or, as Roger from my program put it, the difference between this kind of coaching and learning about craft from more general books and courses was like on the job experience from an internship versus only learning about it at school. 177 00:18:56.880 --> 00:19:03.239 Gina Kammer: And that's exactly what I teach from start to finish, using my 3 keys to reader enchantment. 178 00:19:04.190 --> 00:19:14.560 Gina Kammer: So today I'm going to get you started with each of these 3 keys to enchanting readers so that your stories resonate with meaningful impact. 179 00:19:15.440 --> 00:19:21.079 Gina Kammer: Now I've only got you for about an hour, so there's no way I can teach you everything. 180 00:19:21.420 --> 00:19:27.020 Gina Kammer: But don't worry, for today. We're still going to make sure you understand 181 00:19:27.190 --> 00:19:34.549 Gina Kammer: the importance of having a plan and strategy to set the right. Reader expectations. 182 00:19:35.050 --> 00:19:44.089 Gina Kammer: We're going to find your stories. Lay line. That's the meaningful core that will power the whole rest of your novel with the reason readers should care. 183 00:19:44.170 --> 00:19:47.580 Gina Kammer: And the reason your story makes a difference. 184 00:19:48.340 --> 00:19:49.220 Gina Kammer: plus 185 00:19:49.570 --> 00:19:57.369 Gina Kammer: it will give you a load stone, if you will, with which to assess your story, and set you up for actual success in revising it. 186 00:19:58.640 --> 00:20:12.379 Gina Kammer: And lastly, I'll help you get started in channeling that power into the rest of your story through your characters, so that readers can live that rich experience of your story world that you have in your head. 187 00:20:13.320 --> 00:20:27.900 Gina Kammer: So right now get out your phones and make sure you follow the link by scanning the QR code here so that you can download the action, guide or type in enchant your readers.com slash Guide. 188 00:20:28.090 --> 00:20:33.960 Gina Kammer: She'll also put it in the chat. So put in your information. You should see a button to download it right away. 189 00:20:34.470 --> 00:20:38.929 Gina Kammer: This guide will make it easier for you to put what I teach today to use. 190 00:20:39.230 --> 00:20:45.279 Gina Kammer: especially since I know you're going to need more time to work through some of the steps. 191 00:20:45.290 --> 00:20:48.290 Gina Kammer: Then we can take during our session today. 192 00:20:51.030 --> 00:20:53.630 Gina Kammer: And with that, let's get started 193 00:20:54.980 --> 00:20:58.090 Gina Kammer: first, I'm going to introduce the 3 keys 194 00:20:58.670 --> 00:21:02.439 Gina Kammer: beyond. Capitalization is a corny mnemonic to help us remember them. 195 00:21:02.750 --> 00:21:04.609 Gina Kammer: They all start with the letter E 196 00:21:05.090 --> 00:21:09.030 Gina Kammer: expectations, enlightenment, and experience. 197 00:21:10.750 --> 00:21:17.330 Gina Kammer: These 3 keys are essential in everything, from the planning stage to drafting to the revision stage. 198 00:21:18.570 --> 00:21:23.229 Gina Kammer: It's easiest to think about them in terms of unlocking each of these things for the reader. 199 00:21:23.740 --> 00:21:34.479 Gina Kammer: And we're here to learn how to enchant readers with our stories right? So that may seem like the ultimate goal, and it's definitely important. 200 00:21:34.640 --> 00:21:38.960 Gina Kammer: But when I coach through this framework with clients 201 00:21:39.160 --> 00:21:45.579 Gina Kammer: times 3, going through all 3 at each of the 3 main stages of creating a book. 202 00:21:46.360 --> 00:21:52.769 Gina Kammer: I'm also thinking about the author and her expectations and purpose and process. 203 00:21:53.300 --> 00:21:58.080 Gina Kammer: and also the story's potential and meaning and effectiveness. 204 00:21:59.110 --> 00:22:02.560 Gina Kammer: The 3 keys respectively. In each instance. 205 00:22:03.880 --> 00:22:08.869 Gina Kammer: While there is method to the madness, it's still layered and overlapping and iterative. 206 00:22:09.180 --> 00:22:10.160 Gina Kammer: But 207 00:22:10.730 --> 00:22:20.449 Gina Kammer: by understanding the aspects of author, story, reader, and also the different stages of the process, each from the foundation of these 3 keys. 208 00:22:20.620 --> 00:22:26.369 Gina Kammer: It's so much easier to cast your story spell effectively and with confidence 209 00:22:27.130 --> 00:22:30.490 Gina Kammer: that in a nutshell is my nine-step framework. 210 00:22:30.850 --> 00:22:37.859 Gina Kammer: So let me further define each of these keys as they apply to each of these components and stages. 211 00:22:39.540 --> 00:22:48.660 Gina Kammer: The key of expectations unlocks the promise of potential. This is all about setting up and filling the right promises for you and your readers. 212 00:22:48.770 --> 00:22:55.059 Gina Kammer: So solid plot the right genre components, tropes, age category types of characters. 213 00:22:55.170 --> 00:22:58.689 Gina Kammer: all factor into fulfilling reader expectations. 214 00:22:59.130 --> 00:23:06.219 Gina Kammer: This is the category of masterful, masterful craft which helps to create entertainment and excitement. 215 00:23:06.500 --> 00:23:10.729 Gina Kammer: piecing and structure can aid significantly in delivering all these things, too. 216 00:23:12.560 --> 00:23:19.120 Gina Kammer: the key of enlightenment unlocks knowledge for readers and allows them to learn from the story vicariously. 217 00:23:19.330 --> 00:23:23.770 Gina Kammer: It's one of the subconscious reasons readers get invested in stories. 218 00:23:23.790 --> 00:23:27.619 Gina Kammer: They want to learn how a character overcomes the tough stuff 219 00:23:27.800 --> 00:23:32.589 Gina Kammer: to help themselves, know how or hope that they can too 220 00:23:33.170 --> 00:23:39.599 Gina Kammer: primarily the theme of the story and subthemes which conveys some truth. The author wants to get across 221 00:23:39.690 --> 00:23:43.839 Gina Kammer: helps to deliver the knowledge piece that readers seek from stories. 222 00:23:46.050 --> 00:23:58.090 Gina Kammer: The key of experience, lastly, is the greater category of the one thing I hear most readers, possibly because of my speculative genres. Specialization express that they want from a book 223 00:23:58.330 --> 00:23:59.340 Gina Kammer: escape. 224 00:24:00.040 --> 00:24:13.009 Gina Kammer: but escape covers more than they realize. I think, therefore, experience is perhaps a better term for it, because this third reason unlocks portals to worlds and emotions 225 00:24:13.160 --> 00:24:22.170 Gina Kammer: it's conveyed through the world building. Yes, but more important, the more important part is the character, centered experience and emotions about everything. 226 00:24:22.460 --> 00:24:27.740 Gina Kammer: And because readers should experience stories vicariously. 227 00:24:27.800 --> 00:24:30.720 Gina Kammer: they share in the emotions of the characters. 228 00:24:31.160 --> 00:24:34.009 Gina Kammer: Catharsis in the poetics sense. 229 00:24:34.150 --> 00:24:36.110 Gina Kammer: So yeah. 230 00:24:36.140 --> 00:24:47.320 Gina Kammer: we read, because we want to feel something else or explore somewhere else, distracting ourselves from sometimes less desirable realities in a fallen world. 231 00:24:47.850 --> 00:24:56.359 Gina Kammer: This key is best fulfilled through the character, transformation, arc, and all the ways the world of the story affects that arc. 232 00:24:56.530 --> 00:25:02.360 Gina Kammer: It's also the key of the vicarious reader. Experience through the connection to a character 233 00:25:04.010 --> 00:25:11.229 Gina Kammer: in this order, let's make sure you can get started learning how to implement something from each key in your own story. 234 00:25:13.010 --> 00:25:13.820 Gina Kammer: So 235 00:25:13.960 --> 00:25:18.070 Gina Kammer: the first key to reader enchantment is expectations 236 00:25:18.080 --> 00:25:20.869 Gina Kammer: setting up the right promises for readers. 237 00:25:22.100 --> 00:25:26.469 Gina Kammer: Maybe you're at the stage where you don't know where your story is going. 238 00:25:26.730 --> 00:25:38.069 Gina Kammer: Ideas are vague. So maybe you're brainstorming or starting to draft, or you even have most of a draft. And yet you you don't know how to bring it all home. 239 00:25:38.990 --> 00:25:42.709 Gina Kammer: I know many of you may be bullhearted. 240 00:25:42.820 --> 00:25:46.630 Gina Kammer: The reality is that we need a mix of both planning and pansing. 241 00:25:48.200 --> 00:25:56.699 Gina Kammer: and you need some version of a plan, because you need to know what to expect from your story to meet reader expectations. 242 00:25:56.820 --> 00:25:58.180 Gina Kammer: A first key. 243 00:26:00.170 --> 00:26:02.560 Gina Kammer: I'm going to tell you the story of my client, Sarah. 244 00:26:02.850 --> 00:26:09.260 Gina Kammer: Sarah didn't know where she was going with her novel. She had vague ideas, but no clue 245 00:26:09.270 --> 00:26:14.209 Gina Kammer: in her own words, how to structure it into a proper story. 246 00:26:14.670 --> 00:26:21.170 Gina Kammer: The first thing we did together was to get clarity on what the core of her story actually was. 247 00:26:21.250 --> 00:26:25.249 Gina Kammer: In fact, we had a pretty intense coaching session around this issue. 248 00:26:26.180 --> 00:26:33.980 Gina Kammer: as she was telling me what she thought the point of her story was after writing her first premise draft. 249 00:26:34.460 --> 00:26:38.720 Gina Kammer: It was leaning toward a message of selfishness. 250 00:26:39.410 --> 00:26:46.009 Gina Kammer: I realized that selfishness was not aligned with her worldview, or what she wanted to do with a story 251 00:26:46.580 --> 00:26:51.270 Gina Kammer: actually had to challenge her on that point, and she realized that her theme 252 00:26:51.440 --> 00:26:53.160 Gina Kammer: was the very opposite 253 00:26:53.880 --> 00:26:59.109 Gina Kammer: that changed some things about where she thought her story needed to go 254 00:27:00.450 --> 00:27:06.110 Gina Kammer: with a premise draft. Sarah could see where things weren't working. 255 00:27:06.270 --> 00:27:12.930 Gina Kammer: From. There we rewrote a concise premise that encapsulated the story. She was really trying to tell. 256 00:27:13.440 --> 00:27:19.320 Gina Kammer: This premise led her to a full, solid outline, so she could drop forward with confidence. 257 00:27:20.150 --> 00:27:27.669 Gina Kammer: and so far her draft has made it through the second round of a contest submission for young adult fantasy. 258 00:27:28.690 --> 00:27:42.499 Gina Kammer: So we'll dive a little deeper into how to assess a premise in a bit. But first here are 2 steps you can take to get started crafting your own 2 sentence premise to clarify and focus your story. 259 00:27:44.530 --> 00:27:52.859 Gina Kammer: Then it can help. You see where things in your story might be breaking down, whether you already have a draft of your work in progress or not. 260 00:27:53.960 --> 00:27:55.030 Gina Kammer: So 261 00:27:55.390 --> 00:27:56.660 Gina Kammer: what is a premise. 262 00:27:57.890 --> 00:28:04.199 Gina Kammer: It's basically the concept, like the super short summary of what your story is about. 263 00:28:04.760 --> 00:28:10.429 Gina Kammer: It boils a story down to the most essential parts needed to make up a story. 264 00:28:10.590 --> 00:28:17.269 Gina Kammer: It answers the journalistic questions to a degree, who? What? When? Where? Why? 265 00:28:18.940 --> 00:28:27.440 Gina Kammer: So? It's time to start brainstorming? The answers to these questions based on your story or story idea. Take action and write them out. 266 00:28:27.640 --> 00:28:40.589 Gina Kammer: Now, I fully expect this premise to shift or change as you really get to know your story, but to begin outlining or drafting at all, you have to have some idea of where you might go. 267 00:28:40.830 --> 00:28:42.910 Gina Kammer: It can morph as it needs to from there. 268 00:28:44.780 --> 00:28:50.819 Gina Kammer: Once you have your answers, you can plug them into a simple formula and string them together. 269 00:28:51.140 --> 00:28:56.300 Gina Kammer: This will create a stripped down summary of your story. 270 00:28:58.220 --> 00:28:59.770 Gina Kammer: The formula starts 271 00:28:59.860 --> 00:29:02.540 Gina Kammer: with the character, your who 272 00:29:02.930 --> 00:29:07.350 Gina Kammer: adds the situation so like your when and or where 273 00:29:07.750 --> 00:29:10.959 Gina Kammer: plus the goal, what the character must do. 274 00:29:11.140 --> 00:29:14.279 Gina Kammer: and why this is your story stakes. 275 00:29:14.650 --> 00:29:23.410 Gina Kammer: These core components of a premise can be stated in just about any order to make a compelling one or 2 sentence summary of your story. 276 00:29:25.370 --> 00:29:26.220 Gina Kammer: and 277 00:29:26.600 --> 00:29:37.510 Gina Kammer: note here that the when and where are like the loosest identifiers which can kind of be merged together or substituted for context or situation in the premise. 278 00:29:37.520 --> 00:29:39.159 Gina Kammer: but my recommendation 279 00:29:39.190 --> 00:29:42.700 Gina Kammer: is to start with a character as soon as possible. 280 00:29:42.940 --> 00:29:56.589 Gina Kammer: just like in your story. A reader can't care much about what the other pieces are until they have a character lens to judge whether they're favorable, based on that characters, goals, and the story world. 281 00:29:58.030 --> 00:30:06.539 Gina Kammer: For an example, to walk you through the process. I'm going to use my old fairytale retelling that I started writing as a teen. 282 00:30:07.270 --> 00:30:12.920 Gina Kammer: My starting point was reading through old versions of Sleeping Beauty and wanting 283 00:30:13.240 --> 00:30:14.650 Gina Kammer: more answers. 284 00:30:15.380 --> 00:30:19.220 Gina Kammer: My seed of a story idea was to rewrite it as a full-length novel. 285 00:30:20.050 --> 00:30:28.200 Gina Kammer: Yeah, I actually never got it that far. But the core idea is still solid, so my formula components might look something like this. 286 00:30:29.770 --> 00:30:35.439 Gina Kammer: Then I might put that together, following the loose formula into this initial premise. 287 00:30:36.930 --> 00:30:47.260 Gina Kammer: while locked in her dream world for 100 years Sleeping Beauty must break the evil fairy's curse by finding mutual love or doom her entire kingdom forever. 288 00:30:48.520 --> 00:30:56.630 Gina Kammer: It's okay. If it's still a bit rough at this point, or if I don't have everything figured out, at least it gives me something to work with and improve. 289 00:30:58.110 --> 00:31:04.640 Gina Kammer: Maybe I'll decide that 100 years actually sounds too long for any real urgency. 290 00:31:04.960 --> 00:31:10.589 Gina Kammer: If the Princess couldn't figure something out in 100 years. Maybe she's not worth reading about. 291 00:31:11.710 --> 00:31:20.539 Gina Kammer: just because I can see it laid out like this that the questionable logic pitfalls and gaps become more evident. 292 00:31:20.940 --> 00:31:28.089 Gina Kammer: with only idea. Brainstorming completed. I still have lots of room to tweak and reconfigure the story plan itself. 293 00:31:28.180 --> 00:31:36.480 Gina Kammer: or, if the premise is the problem. At least this draft shows what I might need to recast to show off the logic and importance. 294 00:31:37.550 --> 00:31:38.840 Gina Kammer: So now it's your turn. 295 00:31:38.910 --> 00:31:41.659 Gina Kammer: What's your messy first draft premise. 296 00:31:42.750 --> 00:31:47.979 Gina Kammer: Now I know your story may not fit precisely into this formulaic mold. 297 00:31:48.130 --> 00:31:55.260 Gina Kammer: but you can still adjust the questions or answers so that you can hit the core components of your story. 298 00:31:55.960 --> 00:31:57.279 Gina Kammer: For example. 299 00:31:57.660 --> 00:32:02.200 Gina Kammer: if this broader formula has you a bit stumped because of 300 00:32:02.340 --> 00:32:04.590 Gina Kammer: how much is included in your novel. 301 00:32:04.800 --> 00:32:08.490 Gina Kammer: Try coming at it from your inciting incident instead. 302 00:32:08.640 --> 00:32:13.010 Gina Kammer: That's also a route for transferring it into compelling marketing copy. 303 00:32:13.970 --> 00:32:23.816 Gina Kammer: These are all things that we frequently troubleshoot in coaching calls or in the community forum of the Enchant. Your readers program for further tailoring. 304 00:32:24.400 --> 00:32:25.250 Gina Kammer: But 305 00:32:25.590 --> 00:32:33.819 Gina Kammer: now, even if you're the hardest core pancre, you have a few simple steps to test a story idea and come up with 306 00:32:34.230 --> 00:32:39.339 Gina Kammer: even the sparsest plan to keep your stories focus front and center. 307 00:32:39.810 --> 00:32:44.290 Gina Kammer: It's a great start to have for pitch or marketing. Copy 2. 308 00:32:45.580 --> 00:32:50.560 Gina Kammer: So that brings us to the second key that's necessary for enchanting your readers 309 00:32:51.070 --> 00:32:52.550 Gina Kammer: enlightenment. 310 00:32:53.890 --> 00:33:02.889 Gina Kammer: Do you ever write your first draft, and then secretly think it should only need like a few quick edits, or even just a proofread. And then it's good to go 311 00:33:03.270 --> 00:33:04.810 Gina Kammer: mean like, don't we all 312 00:33:05.770 --> 00:33:11.759 Gina Kammer: in your head? It's pretty great. You don't want it to have to change, but 313 00:33:11.790 --> 00:33:16.080 Gina Kammer: maybe it's because you don't know what else to do to revise 314 00:33:16.860 --> 00:33:24.549 Gina Kammer: school didn't exactly teach you how to write books that sell your academic essay work isn't translating so well to fiction. 315 00:33:25.220 --> 00:33:26.250 Gina Kammer: or 316 00:33:26.760 --> 00:33:30.410 Gina Kammer: whether or not. You have any confidence in your draft. 317 00:33:30.910 --> 00:33:37.329 Gina Kammer: you're worried. You'll just ruin what's good about your story if you go in and change things. So 318 00:33:37.440 --> 00:33:38.720 Gina Kammer: what are you to do. 319 00:33:40.060 --> 00:33:43.969 Gina Kammer: You need to reframe your expectations for success. 320 00:33:44.060 --> 00:33:48.099 Gina Kammer: Set your goals, and determine why you care. 321 00:33:49.100 --> 00:33:56.209 Gina Kammer: We do that by giving you confidence and craft and digging deeper, we find that lay line that powers your story. 322 00:33:56.460 --> 00:34:00.239 Gina Kammer: This step is is really the crux of the enlightenment key. 323 00:34:01.430 --> 00:34:05.099 Gina Kammer: So, lis an author going through my program self-editing course. 324 00:34:05.270 --> 00:34:11.179 Gina Kammer: but she only had to tweak a few things here and there, and her chapter book for kids would be ready. 325 00:34:11.489 --> 00:34:12.489 Gina Kammer: She 326 00:34:12.590 --> 00:34:19.849 Gina Kammer: didn't believe that her story needed the deeper content changes I was seeing from her sample and from talking with her. 327 00:34:20.850 --> 00:34:27.320 Gina Kammer: Elise needed to reframe her expectations through a better grasp of the craft 328 00:34:27.340 --> 00:34:32.230 Gina Kammer: and deeper work on her own goals, and reasons for writing this story 329 00:34:32.260 --> 00:34:36.199 Gina Kammer: so that she could be open to revisions and ready to do the work. 330 00:34:37.360 --> 00:34:39.259 Gina Kammer: And that's exactly what we did 331 00:34:39.895 --> 00:34:47.500 Gina Kammer: through my story, decoder self assessment process which included that premise exercise. We just went over. 332 00:34:47.699 --> 00:34:53.159 Gina Kammer: and some craft instruction. Elise realized what her story was missing. 333 00:34:53.840 --> 00:34:58.629 Gina Kammer: It needed to better meet genre expectations with certain story elements, but 334 00:34:58.850 --> 00:35:11.460 Gina Kammer: Elise also needed to understand why telling the story was so important to her before she could truly make the shift she needed to give her story the chance in the market it deserved 335 00:35:12.280 --> 00:35:16.100 Gina Kammer: through this work and through our live coaching. 336 00:35:16.320 --> 00:35:20.759 Gina Kammer: Elise came away with the message she was trying to tell through this story. 337 00:35:21.010 --> 00:35:24.039 Gina Kammer: The reason she cared about it. In the first place. 338 00:35:25.120 --> 00:35:29.520 Gina Kammer: she wanted to help kids like her own see their self worth. 339 00:35:30.800 --> 00:35:35.389 Gina Kammer: and because she could better connect that purpose to her story. 340 00:35:35.820 --> 00:35:37.480 Gina Kammer: Readers can care, too. 341 00:35:37.630 --> 00:35:42.150 Gina Kammer: And that's why this work is so important for creating that reader impact. 342 00:35:43.290 --> 00:35:50.890 Gina Kammer: Well, I don't have time today to individually coach you to the bottom of that truth. You're trying to speak with your story. 343 00:35:50.930 --> 00:35:57.819 Gina Kammer: I can get you started by providing some prompts to help you create your statement of truth. 344 00:35:58.130 --> 00:36:01.360 Gina Kammer: if not in so many words in your story 345 00:36:01.490 --> 00:36:10.290 Gina Kammer: that will come across in your characters experiences as they live it in such a way that you won't have to be didactic with your words. 346 00:36:11.570 --> 00:36:18.560 Gina Kammer: But before getting too far ahead, let's take a beat to stop and ask some deep philosophical questions. 347 00:36:20.250 --> 00:36:23.549 Gina Kammer: You can start by taking a look at your premise. 348 00:36:23.880 --> 00:36:28.030 Gina Kammer: or think of what inspired you to start the story. In the first place. 349 00:36:29.220 --> 00:36:32.009 Gina Kammer: why is it that you were drawn to these ideas. 350 00:36:32.380 --> 00:36:34.339 Gina Kammer: anyone more than the others. 351 00:36:35.260 --> 00:36:42.089 Gina Kammer: for now maybe just make some notes on your thoughts about these questions and brainstorm your answers. 352 00:36:43.740 --> 00:36:44.840 Gina Kammer: Ben. 353 00:36:44.930 --> 00:36:46.909 Gina Kammer: take those ideas further. 354 00:36:47.220 --> 00:36:49.210 Gina Kammer: why do you want to write this book? 355 00:36:49.460 --> 00:36:53.989 Gina Kammer: No, no, no! Why do you want to write a book? But why do you want to write this book. 356 00:36:55.350 --> 00:36:56.470 Gina Kammer: this book. 357 00:36:56.740 --> 00:36:58.879 Gina Kammer: this idea in particular. 358 00:36:59.220 --> 00:37:04.699 Gina Kammer: Is it coming out of something you're dealing with, something you've experienced. 359 00:37:05.040 --> 00:37:08.770 Gina Kammer: something you want to explore or learn. 360 00:37:09.630 --> 00:37:12.130 Gina Kammer: What might you be trying to say with this book? 361 00:37:12.920 --> 00:37:14.420 Gina Kammer: Explore deeply here 362 00:37:15.680 --> 00:37:22.169 Gina Kammer: now, I think, a little more externally, but grounded in your answers for the previous questions. 363 00:37:23.380 --> 00:37:26.099 Gina Kammer: what's your goal for this book? Once it's done? 364 00:37:26.750 --> 00:37:32.099 Gina Kammer: Like most writers, you might be hoping at least someone reads it and gets something from it. 365 00:37:33.040 --> 00:37:34.839 Gina Kammer: What is that thing 366 00:37:35.040 --> 00:37:37.199 Gina Kammer: that you want them to take away from it. 367 00:37:37.650 --> 00:37:38.490 Gina Kammer: Why. 368 00:37:40.720 --> 00:37:42.709 Gina Kammer: okay, therapy session over 369 00:37:43.750 --> 00:37:49.440 Gina Kammer: just kidding. Take the time you need after the session, to really sit with these questions. 370 00:37:49.630 --> 00:37:50.680 Gina Kammer: journal. 371 00:37:50.740 --> 00:37:57.079 Gina Kammer: rewrite whatever helps you, organize your thoughts and makes them more concrete. 372 00:37:57.810 --> 00:38:08.609 Gina Kammer: Remember that you can get a copy of these notes in the Action guide at this link by scanning the QR code if you haven't already, so you can take more time to go through these steps. 373 00:38:11.330 --> 00:38:12.480 Gina Kammer: because 374 00:38:12.510 --> 00:38:25.590 Gina Kammer: figuring out. Your statement is the step that's going to get you through a solid few months or more of writing. It'll give you a purpose to hang on to and keep you going when the new project excitement wears off. 375 00:38:27.830 --> 00:38:32.419 Gina Kammer: Okay? So finally, you'll need to form a statement of truth. 376 00:38:33.210 --> 00:38:40.429 Gina Kammer: This can sound rather cheesy. So it applies universally to people, and that's fine. It won't be cheesy in your story. 377 00:38:40.550 --> 00:38:45.550 Gina Kammer: This statement is for you, as the author on the back end of your work. 378 00:38:45.750 --> 00:38:58.979 Gina Kammer: It will give your story, purpose and clarity, and help. You see how revision or planning from this place of purpose can open you up to making your story as strong as possible. 379 00:38:59.350 --> 00:39:02.050 Gina Kammer: even if it's not as quick as you hoped. 380 00:39:02.820 --> 00:39:05.380 Gina Kammer: So make the statement a statement. 381 00:39:05.820 --> 00:39:11.520 Gina Kammer: one sentence, a truth. You wish everyone could know or learn. 382 00:39:13.040 --> 00:39:19.969 Gina Kammer: For example, it could be something like it's better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all. 383 00:39:21.500 --> 00:39:30.770 Gina Kammer: You've probably even heard that one before. But that's what makes it a universal right like it could be a truth that applies to all people. 384 00:39:31.290 --> 00:39:38.589 Gina Kammer: and maybe it came from your own experience of love and loss that might inform the situation in your story. 385 00:39:38.810 --> 00:39:43.219 Gina Kammer: But write your statement so that it is a universal. 386 00:39:43.360 --> 00:39:45.330 Gina Kammer: This, in essence is your theme 387 00:39:45.890 --> 00:39:50.419 Gina Kammer: not just a subject, though, but an opinion about that subject. 388 00:39:50.520 --> 00:39:55.620 Gina Kammer: So the subject here is love or love and loss. I suppose 389 00:39:55.920 --> 00:40:00.320 Gina Kammer: the theme forms an opinion about that subject stated as fact. 390 00:40:02.040 --> 00:40:08.440 Gina Kammer: Okay, so what if this work hasn't yet opened you up to be ready with the deeper revisions your story might need. 391 00:40:08.970 --> 00:40:16.019 Gina Kammer: Well, then, getting a better foundation in storycraft is the next step to move forward with confidence. 392 00:40:16.990 --> 00:40:20.040 Gina Kammer: But that's good news, because 393 00:40:20.160 --> 00:40:23.510 Gina Kammer: you can learn to write an incredibly good story. 394 00:40:23.530 --> 00:40:27.699 Gina Kammer: It's a skill, and you can hone it like you would in any other craft 395 00:40:27.740 --> 00:40:29.189 Gina Kammer: just like you're doing here. 396 00:40:30.580 --> 00:40:35.309 Gina Kammer: But what if deeper revisions aren't necessarily your sticking point? 397 00:40:35.400 --> 00:40:46.470 Gina Kammer: What if you have too many ideas that inspired this book, or you're seeing so many things in your story that you're not sure what your leading theme is. 398 00:40:47.720 --> 00:40:55.299 Gina Kammer: This happens probably as often as the authors who didn't think they had a theme or anything deeper behind their stories. 399 00:40:57.200 --> 00:41:03.219 Gina Kammer: This is where the power of coaching can really help you cut through the noise with 400 00:41:03.320 --> 00:41:06.420 Gina Kammer: the right questions, just like I did with Elise. 401 00:41:06.760 --> 00:41:14.249 Gina Kammer: peeling back the layers until we uncovered how her story reflected her own kids experiences 402 00:41:14.420 --> 00:41:17.590 Gina Kammer: and her desire to help them through her series. 403 00:41:19.150 --> 00:41:27.330 Gina Kammer: And even when you have a few books under your belts and have done extensive storycraft, research, and background work. 404 00:41:27.400 --> 00:41:32.220 Gina Kammer: The additional layer learning the whys behind solid craft. Advice 405 00:41:32.260 --> 00:41:39.729 Gina Kammer: will help you make fully informed decisions about what's best to employ in your story to hook readers in 406 00:41:41.200 --> 00:41:44.329 Gina Kammer: seasoned and award-winning children's author. Elizabeth 407 00:41:44.380 --> 00:41:47.780 Gina Kammer: still makes breakthroughs during our coaching sessions. 408 00:41:48.180 --> 00:41:58.359 Gina Kammer: In one particular session we dove into her main character and the motivations, fears, and inner demon driving the characters decisions. 409 00:41:58.830 --> 00:42:01.320 Gina Kammer: At 1 point, she exclaimed. 410 00:42:01.590 --> 00:42:02.690 Gina Kammer: I've got it. 411 00:42:02.720 --> 00:42:09.340 Gina Kammer: I mean just made breakthrough after breakthrough of where her story was really coming from, and what it was truly trying to say. 412 00:42:10.360 --> 00:42:12.549 Gina Kammer: Only for me to burst her excitement. Bubble! 413 00:42:14.120 --> 00:42:17.249 Gina Kammer: She still wasn't going deep enough. 414 00:42:17.310 --> 00:42:19.330 Gina Kammer: She was still holding back 415 00:42:19.520 --> 00:42:26.160 Gina Kammer: fiction though it was, she'd been avoiding pouring deep truth into the novel, and her main character 416 00:42:27.570 --> 00:42:30.629 Gina Kammer: writing relatable fiction, is 417 00:42:30.750 --> 00:42:37.110 Gina Kammer: actually writing characters whose decisions we can understand as readers, and whose experiences we can feel. 418 00:42:37.620 --> 00:42:45.189 Gina Kammer: that takes guts and vulnerability. It takes pouring everything out on the page through a character. 419 00:42:45.350 --> 00:42:49.870 Gina Kammer: I'm going places that are gritty and uncomfortable for authenticity. 420 00:42:50.760 --> 00:43:05.039 Gina Kammer: but that means as writers. We're often not very honest with ourselves, as we unconsciously protect ourselves from the memories of the truth of those experiences, so we stay on the surface and gloss over them. 421 00:43:05.660 --> 00:43:07.190 Gina Kammer: So, too, had Elizabeth. 422 00:43:07.550 --> 00:43:11.390 Gina Kammer: Even after she thought she was breaking through that surface on our call 423 00:43:12.090 --> 00:43:15.870 Gina Kammer: I pointed out that she had, in fact, barely scratched it. 424 00:43:17.220 --> 00:43:22.920 Gina Kammer: I remember it vividly. Elizabeth, deflated like, collapsed back in her chair with a huff. 425 00:43:23.840 --> 00:43:30.159 Gina Kammer: and then, being the tenacious author she is, she dove right back in and straight down to the core. 426 00:43:30.780 --> 00:43:38.750 Gina Kammer: We got to the raw, really and real heart of what this story really meant to her, what she was trying to say through it. 427 00:43:38.930 --> 00:43:44.509 Gina Kammer: and how her main character was conveying that message by living it through the plot. 428 00:43:45.200 --> 00:43:48.060 Gina Kammer: though certainly not preaching it. 429 00:43:48.720 --> 00:43:54.820 Gina Kammer: She was revealing the truths she needed to on a deep level for a story really worth reading. 430 00:43:56.280 --> 00:44:00.520 Gina Kammer: Elizabeth wasn't the only one who left that call. Feeling empowered. 431 00:44:00.862 --> 00:44:05.099 Gina Kammer: The full power of words impacted me all over again, as I was reminded 432 00:44:05.410 --> 00:44:09.180 Gina Kammer: what stories mean for readers and authors alike. 433 00:44:10.610 --> 00:44:17.910 Gina Kammer: My cup refilled, I was completely renewed in my own mission to help authors create books 434 00:44:17.970 --> 00:44:22.770 Gina Kammer: that completely impact and therefore enchant readers. 435 00:44:24.350 --> 00:44:29.990 Gina Kammer: So if that speaks to you, if you want that kind of breakthrough experience with your own story. 436 00:44:30.280 --> 00:44:38.949 Gina Kammer: You can get so much more of that with the support of a good book. Coaches calls as early in your so process as possible. 437 00:44:39.440 --> 00:44:47.219 Gina Kammer: I'm even happy to recommend my wonderful book Coaching Colleagues. So find my details in the Action Guide for more on that. 438 00:44:49.220 --> 00:44:50.140 Gina Kammer: But 439 00:44:50.280 --> 00:44:59.469 Gina Kammer: I'm still going to take you through a powerful process to implement the third and final key in your story right here. So let's get to it. 440 00:45:00.170 --> 00:45:01.680 Gina Kammer: Experience. 441 00:45:02.750 --> 00:45:12.470 Gina Kammer: Maybe you already know what you're trying to explore through your story, or you even know your theme, Aka, the truth you're trying to share. 442 00:45:12.750 --> 00:45:20.329 Gina Kammer: and you have a draft or partial draft that you've gotten some eyeballs on from critique partners and beta readers. 443 00:45:20.680 --> 00:45:21.530 Gina Kammer: Yep. 444 00:45:22.040 --> 00:45:26.299 Gina Kammer: it's not having the impact on readers that you'd hoped 445 00:45:26.740 --> 00:45:30.249 Gina Kammer: readers are having trouble connecting with the characters, and 446 00:45:30.830 --> 00:45:39.769 Gina Kammer: you don't understand what to do, because there's so much depth to these characters that you feel in your soul. But 447 00:45:39.930 --> 00:45:42.979 Gina Kammer: you don't know why that isn't coming across on the page. 448 00:45:44.500 --> 00:45:49.160 Gina Kammer: The problem might be a lack of understanding for your characters. 449 00:45:49.680 --> 00:45:57.810 Gina Kammer: Readers aren't seeing their motivations. What's driving them in a way that's believable or consistent with the characters? 450 00:45:58.030 --> 00:45:58.980 Gina Kammer: Or 451 00:45:59.300 --> 00:46:08.329 Gina Kammer: it may just be that your character's transformations are lacking, or don't align with the truth. You're trying to tell your lay line. 452 00:46:08.750 --> 00:46:12.829 Gina Kammer: It's like the flow of power from that lay line. Theme is being 453 00:46:13.000 --> 00:46:18.739 Gina Kammer: cut off before it hits the page, because what's on the page isn't reflective of it. 454 00:46:19.540 --> 00:46:27.429 Gina Kammer: Instead, you need to power your characters transformations from your lay line to achieve the true impact you want to have on readers. 455 00:46:28.850 --> 00:46:38.070 Gina Kammer: Sarah, the author of a sci-fi epic in my Enchant your readers program recognized that the area in which she was having the most trouble 456 00:46:38.120 --> 00:46:41.120 Gina Kammer: wasn't getting readers to connect with her characters. 457 00:46:42.120 --> 00:46:46.500 Gina Kammer: So in revision, we focused solely on that problem. First. 458 00:46:46.800 --> 00:46:53.110 Gina Kammer: she found it refreshing not to have to keep trying to polish everything to perfection from the beginning 459 00:46:53.160 --> 00:46:55.739 Gina Kammer: before she could get any further. 460 00:46:57.220 --> 00:46:58.270 Gina Kammer: But 461 00:46:58.300 --> 00:47:03.290 Gina Kammer: it took some coaching session work to get her lay lines power 462 00:47:03.520 --> 00:47:05.710 Gina Kammer: down to the character level. 463 00:47:05.870 --> 00:47:11.619 Gina Kammer: She was having so much trouble pinpointing her protagonist's true internal conflict. 464 00:47:12.450 --> 00:47:16.270 Gina Kammer: But through coaching she had this 465 00:47:16.560 --> 00:47:23.950 Gina Kammer: massive breakthrough about what he was really facing as his inner demon, and how he could overcome it 466 00:47:24.770 --> 00:47:26.160 Gina Kammer: better. Yet 467 00:47:26.250 --> 00:47:34.250 Gina Kammer: she finally understood how that connected to her plot and where her story needed to go to bring about such a change. 468 00:47:34.880 --> 00:47:36.349 Gina Kammer: So now it's your turn. 469 00:47:36.680 --> 00:47:46.010 Gina Kammer: I'm going to walk you through some steps that can help you get started in this work of powering your own characters, transformations from your lay line. 470 00:47:47.110 --> 00:47:48.080 Gina Kammer: First. 471 00:47:48.530 --> 00:47:54.210 Gina Kammer: you need to recall your lay line, so make a copy of your own ley line statement to work with. 472 00:47:54.540 --> 00:48:02.159 Gina Kammer: This is the statement we came up with for that second key, that universal truth that you're trying to say through your story. 473 00:48:03.250 --> 00:48:04.680 Gina Kammer: step 2. 474 00:48:05.210 --> 00:48:10.610 Gina Kammer: Rewrite that statement in relation to one character, namely, your protagonist. 475 00:48:11.940 --> 00:48:19.540 Gina Kammer: So if I were, use my previous example, it might become, it's better for Rose to have loved and lost 476 00:48:19.570 --> 00:48:21.490 Gina Kammer: than to never have loved at all. 477 00:48:21.760 --> 00:48:23.360 Gina Kammer: Now it's one character. 478 00:48:23.780 --> 00:48:25.600 Gina Kammer: and you can see how simple it might be 479 00:48:26.100 --> 00:48:33.200 Gina Kammer: yours might need a little further tweaking to make it make sense in relation to one person, and that's just fine. 480 00:48:34.220 --> 00:48:41.569 Gina Kammer: Once you've got it, you now have the truth your protagonist needs to learn by the end of your story. 481 00:48:41.810 --> 00:48:46.979 Gina Kammer: This is the transformation my hypothetical character Rose needs to make. 482 00:48:48.270 --> 00:48:52.100 Gina Kammer: But how does the character make the transformation. 483 00:48:53.170 --> 00:48:56.830 Gina Kammer: She starts out believing a corrupted version of that truth. 484 00:48:57.020 --> 00:49:00.810 Gina Kammer: Otherwise there's no need for her to change, and 485 00:49:01.250 --> 00:49:07.540 Gina Kammer: readers are subconsciously looking to learn from stories and the transformations characters go through 486 00:49:08.760 --> 00:49:10.430 Gina Kammer: so corrupt that truth. 487 00:49:11.060 --> 00:49:15.369 Gina Kammer: You might start by thinking of an opposite of that truth. 488 00:49:15.660 --> 00:49:18.729 Gina Kammer: If it's easier, you can start from the universal version. 489 00:49:19.210 --> 00:49:26.320 Gina Kammer: So maybe it's it's better not to have loved at all than to have to live with the loss. 490 00:49:27.330 --> 00:49:32.030 Gina Kammer: Or maybe it's easier to go from the character specific version you made. Either way. 491 00:49:32.260 --> 00:49:36.860 Gina Kammer: you'll want to make this corrupted version character specific as well. 492 00:49:38.140 --> 00:49:40.090 Gina Kammer: Something like 493 00:49:40.510 --> 00:49:45.689 Gina Kammer: Rose believes it's better to love no one, so she never has to lose them. 494 00:49:45.990 --> 00:49:55.470 Gina Kammer: And that's your character's corrupted truth. It's the lie that your character's inner demon of fear tells her over and over again. 495 00:49:56.240 --> 00:50:00.799 Gina Kammer: and that essentially makes up your protagonist's internal conflict 496 00:50:01.050 --> 00:50:05.159 Gina Kammer: and make the fear and desire. 2 sides of the same coin. 497 00:50:05.440 --> 00:50:06.700 Gina Kammer: for example. 498 00:50:06.770 --> 00:50:11.619 Gina Kammer: Rose likely desires love deeply, but also fears it due to the risk of loss. 499 00:50:11.760 --> 00:50:18.449 Gina Kammer: so she will actively keep that fear at bay by creating a mask for herself, a way to justify herself. 500 00:50:18.480 --> 00:50:21.230 Gina Kammer: which all stands in the way of her desire. 501 00:50:21.840 --> 00:50:24.749 Gina Kammer: She will tell herself at every turn that it's 502 00:50:24.930 --> 00:50:30.059 Gina Kammer: better safer whatever to never love, and therefore never lose. 503 00:50:30.350 --> 00:50:32.789 Gina Kammer: This protects her from her fear of loss. 504 00:50:33.020 --> 00:50:36.320 Gina Kammer: but stands in the way of her true desire for love. 505 00:50:37.470 --> 00:50:40.070 Gina Kammer: So what's your protagonist's corrupted truth? 506 00:50:40.220 --> 00:50:43.199 Gina Kammer: What is that inner demon telling them? 507 00:50:45.240 --> 00:50:49.649 Gina Kammer: Maybe you already have some past trauma your character went through 508 00:50:49.680 --> 00:50:55.589 Gina Kammer: that has shaped a corrupted motivation. And you had these answers already. 509 00:50:56.460 --> 00:50:57.180 Gina Kammer: But 510 00:50:57.640 --> 00:51:09.810 Gina Kammer: have you tested them against your whole story? Are you making sure that the transformation arc is informing all of your plot decisions, world building and other characters. 511 00:51:10.400 --> 00:51:14.230 Gina Kammer: That's something most authors need, some coaching through 512 00:51:15.490 --> 00:51:16.920 Gina Kammer: much like Sarah. 513 00:51:16.990 --> 00:51:25.289 Gina Kammer: Jamie had a plan and extensive outlining and background work. Her whole story was already built on the truth she was trying to express. 514 00:51:26.050 --> 00:51:28.340 Gina Kammer: Yet through this work 515 00:51:28.490 --> 00:51:33.430 Gina Kammer: Jamie realized that she was centering on the wrong protagonist. 516 00:51:33.640 --> 00:51:41.560 Gina Kammer: The character she had chosen wasn't actually the best character to play out her lay line's power and truth. 517 00:51:42.980 --> 00:51:46.520 Gina Kammer: Once she understood who her protagonist really was. 518 00:51:46.750 --> 00:51:52.839 Gina Kammer: she discovered how to give her story a thousand times more impact than in her initial draft. 519 00:51:53.080 --> 00:52:00.450 Gina Kammer: Suddenly it was raw and vivid, and no longer just scratched the surface of everything Jamie was trying to explore. 520 00:52:01.710 --> 00:52:11.220 Gina Kammer: so go back and check how everything hinges on this lay line, and in turn, how that lay line powers every other element in your novel. 521 00:52:12.270 --> 00:52:21.390 Gina Kammer: This alone can give you solid direction for making those revision decisions in a way that you know will make your story stronger. 522 00:52:21.650 --> 00:52:24.580 Gina Kammer: but you don't have to figure it out all alone. 523 00:52:25.480 --> 00:52:27.579 Gina Kammer: The magic is in the revision. 524 00:52:28.210 --> 00:52:34.309 Gina Kammer: Writing a book is all such an iterative process, and I want to normalize that. But 525 00:52:34.440 --> 00:52:40.669 Gina Kammer: I hope the steps I gave you today can help you see some powerful places to make progress 526 00:52:41.410 --> 00:53:02.010 Gina Kammer: with time and research. You can experiment with piecing together structures, craft resources, and all the other Internet advice to make something work for you. Or you can follow a system based on 3 keys backed by brain science. To get your story anywhere from idea to solid. 527 00:53:02.110 --> 00:53:10.590 Gina Kammer: This system, using the 3 keys has already been tried and tested by authors just like you, and representing every stage of the journey. 528 00:53:11.430 --> 00:53:12.670 Gina Kammer: take sharp. 529 00:53:12.700 --> 00:53:21.110 Gina Kammer: She was about to give up on her writing, but with these tools and processes, she was able to keep going on her writing dream 530 00:53:21.340 --> 00:53:25.449 Gina Kammer: almost despite hardships in her life. So I couldn't be more proud of her 531 00:53:26.830 --> 00:53:38.899 Gina Kammer: likewise. Parker struggled for years to stick with her story. It got to the point where she no longer felt inspired by it. Was it even the story she wanted to write anymore. 532 00:53:39.230 --> 00:53:45.530 Gina Kammer: But even with just a few coaching calls and access to my workbooks. Using these 3 keys. 533 00:53:45.680 --> 00:53:49.899 Gina Kammer: Parker was able to complete a draft of a story that kept her excited. 534 00:53:51.500 --> 00:54:02.589 Gina Kammer: You know that there's someone who needs your story just like you needed the stories that kept you going and gave you a safe escape or confidence and hope. 535 00:54:03.160 --> 00:54:06.050 Gina Kammer: and only you can tell your story. 536 00:54:06.190 --> 00:54:14.589 Gina Kammer: You already have all the life experience you need. So let these keys help you cast it onto the page to enchant your readers. 537 00:54:15.430 --> 00:54:16.839 Gina Kammer: How does that sound? 538 00:54:17.530 --> 00:54:22.240 Gina Kammer: Okay, I want to hear from you and answer any questions you have. 539 00:54:23.640 --> 00:54:38.289 Michelle @ ProWritingAid: Alright. Thank you so much. We do have a couple of questions. Christopher asks, what is the best way to properly plot your novel in series. Would the save the cat method be the best way to go about it? Are there other methods that would be used. 540 00:54:40.380 --> 00:55:02.309 Gina Kammer: Sorry. I'm just trying to stop my share. There we go. Yeah, so save the cat is. I mean, it's it's a pretty decent one. But what I do feel like it lacks a little bit is is that emotional core kind of that lay line stuff we just worked through? It's it's kind of there. But but you could definitely pair save the cat 541 00:55:02.390 --> 00:55:08.750 Gina Kammer: with that more emotional core. And I think that would. I think that would get you in a really good place. 542 00:55:10.960 --> 00:55:31.839 Michelle @ ProWritingAid: Okay, Marissa. Marissa says, I realize the point of my sequel. Novel didn't come in till halfway through the novel. The first half was really just about getting the characters to where they needed to be a friend recommended, adding in a sub arc to give the movement purpose well, the pro with the promise key in mind. What is your recommendation for connecting those 2 halves of the narrative. 543 00:55:33.790 --> 00:55:38.195 Gina Kammer: So I might not have enough contacts here to help you with that. But, 544 00:55:39.010 --> 00:55:47.560 Gina Kammer: I would say, you know, we want to start the story really kind of in that corrupted motivation. So if you can kind of lean into that more. 545 00:55:47.640 --> 00:55:48.633 Gina Kammer: and then 546 00:55:49.780 --> 00:55:56.596 Gina Kammer: I don't, and I'm just guessing here, but if that's kind of where it's coming in kind of halfway through, that might be where? 547 00:55:57.560 --> 00:56:20.269 Gina Kammer: you know where you're finally starting to see kind of the truth that you're trying to share. And that's maybe okay. As long as it's kind of like arcing from that beginning of that corrupted motivation where things are kind of going wrong throughout because of that motivation. And then towards the end of the story. Actually, you know, she she finally has that moment. You know where she or he realizes. 548 00:56:20.565 --> 00:56:40.984 Gina Kammer: You know that. Oh, everything I've been doing is kind of wrong, and maybe I do need to change, and that's where that transformation hits. So it is okay to have the actual transformation moment itself, like, really kind of a like right before that climax, is usually the place that that occurs. So I'm not sure if that answers your question, but you can let me know. 549 00:56:41.870 --> 00:56:49.770 Michelle @ ProWritingAid: Jennifer says, what about when your story contains a group of characters being followed? How do you figure out the premise question with this in mind. 550 00:56:52.070 --> 00:56:53.560 Gina Kammer: Being followed. 551 00:56:54.506 --> 00:57:00.963 Gina Kammer: So I I'm assuming it's maybe like an antagonist that's following 552 00:57:01.580 --> 00:57:08.850 Gina Kammer: so you could definitely you know, start with those seeds like, okay? So like, I know that there's a group being followed. 553 00:57:09.371 --> 00:57:25.668 Gina Kammer: But where did that come out of? See? If you can kind of go back and lean into those like seeds of your story idea, like what was kind of really behind this, and see if that you can use that to help you tease out what you know how to flesh out that premise from there by using the 554 00:57:26.370 --> 00:57:47.499 Gina Kammer: You know the stuff that you might have to dig a little deeper to find. So again. This is where a good coach would would come in really handy to help you to ask the right questions and help you really dig in to those layers that was really underneath that story, to begin with, and then you could probably find what that real point of the story is so I hope that helps. 555 00:57:48.320 --> 00:57:54.729 Michelle @ ProWritingAid: Marissa asks, How do you recommend approaching this strategy with dual or multi-pov in a united way? 556 00:57:54.890 --> 00:57:58.567 Gina Kammer: That's a really good question. And I get asked that a lot. So 557 00:57:59.560 --> 00:58:20.719 Gina Kammer: essentially, you're gonna do this. So anytime, you add additional Pov characters. So that's point of view characters. You're going to do this multiple times, basically. So you still have one story premise and stuff. But they're each gonna have kind of their own, like lay line truths. You still have to pick kind of that leading one for your story like 558 00:58:21.010 --> 00:58:49.960 Gina Kammer: which protagonist or which point of view, character is really gonna get those main beats is really gonna make the biggest transformation. That's probably your leading theme. So that's the one that then you can look at the other characters kind of in light of like are they? Are they embodying sort of like an aspect of that theme, or a sub theme, or the same theme, but they're kind of transforming in a different way. You know, this is sometimes really fun with villains where you have 559 00:58:49.960 --> 00:59:11.439 Gina Kammer: the villain character having the exact same kind of like fears and everything like that, and they have really the same lay line truth that they're following, but in the end they don't transform for the better they transform for the worse. So you can kind of see, like, okay, what would happen if they go this way versus this way. So that can be one way to look at it. You can also 560 00:59:11.650 --> 00:59:17.870 Gina Kammer: use other care, like the other point of view, characters in contrast or highlights to the main characters. 561 00:59:19.120 --> 00:59:36.760 Michelle @ ProWritingAid: Soraya says in the past I've used so many tools, tips, strategies, and models to start out and find myself losing all hope to find what I'm looking for. I even tried an accountability, Buddy, and that fell through plus critique. Still, do you have any advice for me to look for connections while I'm working my way on my own. 562 00:59:38.150 --> 00:59:49.200 Gina Kammer: Yeah, I don't know if you're asking about like writer connections, or like critique partners, or just how to bring that all together. So I'll kind of answer both. So if you're trying to bring 563 00:59:49.290 --> 01:00:13.760 Gina Kammer: all the pieces together, I mean, that's where tying everything together with like the lay line is really useful and kind of digging into this? Like the brain science of it, those reader. Expectations like, what are they expecting? What do they want like? What can they learn from this like? Why are they going to care? And then like, how can I give them that really immersive experience? So that's these 3 keys are a way for you to 564 01:00:13.900 --> 01:00:28.419 Gina Kammer: judge what you can kind of pick and use and what's gonna work for you and what you can maybe leave because you just you need to keep those 3 keys in mind. And that's something I help readers or writers do. In my program. Of course 565 01:00:28.450 --> 01:00:31.059 Gina Kammer: in in more depth. Then. 566 01:00:31.300 --> 01:00:35.739 Gina Kammer: as far as, like the critique partners, or finding an accountability person. 567 01:00:36.920 --> 01:00:49.532 Gina Kammer: I have a built in critique partner program in my my program, but I know that there are a couple of others, too. So if you want to just use my resources and reach out to me, I can maybe help point you in some of those directions. But 568 01:00:50.200 --> 01:00:52.220 Gina Kammer: yeah, it's mostly just 569 01:00:52.680 --> 01:00:59.589 Gina Kammer: maybe trying to make those per more personal level connections and then trying it out. I always suggest trying out 570 01:00:59.968 --> 01:01:09.809 Gina Kammer: you know, a connection with maybe just swapping or just trying it for a short amount of time, or just a few chapters before actually committing to more. Just so that, you know if it's a good fit. 571 01:01:09.850 --> 01:01:12.170 Gina Kammer: So it is kind of trial and error, though. 572 01:01:14.290 --> 01:01:34.322 Michelle @ ProWritingAid: Alright. Well, we are out of time. But thank you so much, Gina. This was great, and thank you to everybody who came. We have another session in just an hour, so we hope to see you back for that. And in the meantime the replay and all of Gina's special links and slides will be up on the hub so you can check them out there. So thank you, everybody. We'll see you soon. 573 01:01:34.790 --> 01:01:36.179 Gina Kammer: No, thank you.